Joint Combat Training 2 (16)
The sound of a giant whale wailing shakes the very foundations of the earth.
Just the swinging of its tail and fins is enough to bring about fierce winds. The Apostles of Telos arrange their formation and manifest defensive barriers to resist the massive gales, but the origin of the wind was never intended as an act of aggression.
The Apostles exchange swift glances, sharing thoughts through their eyes alone.
Their situation isn’t entirely hopeless. If magic power is supplied sufficiently, the combined magic circle that the six Apostles could manifest together may well bring the monstrous whale’s movements to a halt.
However, the goal at this moment wasn’t to subjugate the supreme spirit.
Their objective lies in the retrieval of Belvbrock’s Tooth Necklace—a relic at the core of their entire plan.
Yet, their path is blocked by multitudes of flying spirits, and in the distance, Ed and Yenikar, fleeing on a dragon, are moving at an incredible speed.
In such a case, the Third Seat Swift Tadarek is the ideal candidate for the pursuit.
The Apostles swiftly conclude their planning.
Three of them will stall the movements of the supreme spirit, while two will clear the path for Tadarek to fly through. Then, Tadarek, at top speed, would reach Ed and Yenikar, subduing them and seizing the relic.
After all, if Yenikar, the true body of those countless spirits, is subdued, the others become irrelevant.
It doesn’t take long for them to put their plan into action. Tadarek’s wings unfolded with a fluid motion.
“Yenikar, come to your senses!”
His forehead was like a furnace. His face wasn’t blushing with typical embarrassment, but flushed from drawing on an absurd amount of magic power and suffering from the resulting fever.
Ed supports Yenikar’s staggering body and examines the Tooth Necklace of Belvbrock. The flow of magic power along its surface is clearly waning.
The further they get from Achen Island, the weaker the relic’s magic power will become.
“Ed…”
Yenikar isn’t unconscious. Even in a state of mental haze, she does her utmost to command her spirits.
The supreme water spirit, Friede, who commands the skies.
The magic circles manifested by the giant whale fill the heavens. An array of water elemental spells cleave the sky.
Within the slicing winds, the Third Seat Tadarek pierces through the air.
His speed could be compared to a bullet, nearly impaled without notice by a spear in flight.
Fatefully, the spear pierces through only a few strands of Yenikar’s pink hair and the back of their ridden dragon.
When the dragon’s back is pierced, it starts to wobble amidst screams and begins to shake.
Ed and Yenikar, like before, plummet towards the earth once again.
***
“Based solely on the military power of the Holy City, we cannot subdue the Divine Dragon Belvbrock. Do not rashly judge the situation based on vague descriptions in history texts.”
There is no mincing of words.
Clarisse sits demurely, pinpointing the heart of the matter.
The spectacle of the water spirits covering the sky is clearly visible beyond the shattered stained glass. The cathedral knights and the scholars alike are sweating profusely as they look up, but to Saint Clarisse, it seems hardly impressive.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})She has witnessed the Divine Dragon Belvbrock, many times larger than those creatures, ravage Achen Island in its entirety.
That is why she remains unshakably calm.
At her composed demeanor, Emperor Eldain and Archbishop Verdio feel deeply unnerved.
The Clarisse who used to look at the world with curious and innocent eyes, who played with a pure joy, is gone.
Her folded hands and seated silence bore evidence of a reality tasted far too bitterly.
“Sister. How could you possibly…”
“Listen carefully, Verdio.”
There is a man whose deaths Clarisse has witnessed numerous times—a blond noble who had fallen from grace.
She remembers each instance of his demise, vivid in her memory.
Too much had been done by him to bring Clarisse to this very place.
And now, it was Clarisse’s turn to fulfill her role.
Regardless of what anyone would say, as the church’s saint, Clarisse possesses an absolute status.
A person with the authority to express her opinions directly to the emperor and the archbishop, nobody else could replace Clarisse in that respect.
And so, with confidence, Clarisse speaks out.
“I’m sitting here after repeating the same moments countless times.”
Silence envelops the room.
“I don’t yet fully grasp why time is repeating. But I have some guesses…”
– Boom! Boom!
In the skies above Achen Island, there is a collision between the giant whale and the Apostles of Telos. A multitude of flying spirits, easily in the hundreds, join in as well.
Even the staff members of the academy have rushed out to deal with the crisis, spreading protective magic circles, but the giant whale doesn’t seem concerned with targeting the academy.
Even such a majestic scene is nothing more than noisy background to Saint Clarisse.
“Sister, now is not the time for jokes.”
“Enough, Verdio. I’m speaking to the Emperor.”
“What? Sister…?”
Clarisse is already stone-cold.
Looking at Verdio, she no longer bears the respectful gaze of the curious and naive saint she used to be. There is pity for the frightened hands and wide eyes, but it does not inhibit her speech.
Having experienced much, with significantly altered values, and most crucially, relying on no one for emotional support,
Humans grow quickly when they have someone to support them. Realizing this, Clarisse continues her narrative.
“Emperor. Why do you think I knew about the secret plan to subdue Belvbrock? A plan that I shouldn’t have known until arriving at Achen Island.”
Emperor Eldain’s wrinkled eyes focus intently on Clarisse’s bright red irises.
“How could that blond male student have known? How could a magic division student on Achen Island know of a plan that was only discussed among the high clergy of the Holy City?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Verdio’s eyes widen slightly.
The blond male student who had just raided the cathedral.
His actions, from shattering the glass to grabbing the necklace before the stunned knights could react, seemed to suggest he had anticipated the church’s every move.
“How could I know that both of you would be here, when you and your guards used stealth magic to move as covertly as possible to reach this cathedral?”
Attention converges on her words.
“Because I’ve already experienced it all.”
Though it sounds absurd, there’s no rebuttal.
“Verdio is the man who will drive the order to ruin, Emperor. Sooner or later, his madness will consume the church.”
“Madness, Sister? Your words are too radical.”
“We must cut him out while we still can. We must do it now…”
“Sister!”
“Quiet, Verdio!”
Bang! Clarisse slams the table.
And silence reigns.
Emperor Eldain says nothing. Clarisse and Verdio face each other.
“How can you do this to me…”
Eventually, Verdio’s response came as a complete shock.
He… was shedding tears.
“Ever since your first arrival as the newly appointed saint, I’ve always been fervent in my support.”
“…”
“Worried you couldn’t adapt, I passed on all the knowledge I could, protected the spires from malign forces, shielded you from religious fanatics. Years have I lived this life.”
The tears of sorrow shed by the aged archbishop… Emperor Eldain’s pupils flicker uncertainly.
“For your sake, I’ve dedicated myself. This is something all knights of the Holy City know, even yourself, Emperor Eldain.”
“…”
“I was always your most passionate advocate. Always wishing for nothing but stability and happiness around you more than anyone else. And now… to be slandered like this… to be so miserably appalled… tears stream down my face.”
After his words, silence lingers again. Verdio bows his head in grief.
To realize that he’d been repudiated, having spent his life only for the sake of the saint, and now to cry miserably with the wounds fresh in his heart.
Clarisse watches him, and then slowly approaches.
Her approach evokes an image of someone calmly walking to absolve a confessor or one grace with a glance towards a parishioner receiving a baptism, deeply ingrained in the knights’ memories as an inspiring sight.
With an air of grace, Clarisse reaches him and places a hand on each of his shoulders, whispering into his ear.
“So, when things went wrong, you intended to use me as a scapegoat?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})A jolt of tension runs through Verdio’s cold veins.
This is a fact that only Verdio knew. Something that could not have been spread by anyone else.
The ridiculous claim that she was repeating time wasn’t just a hasty rationale to convince the assembly.
Regrettably for those present, Saint Clarisse truly knew every despicable detail about them.
She moves beside Eldain, whose eyes are wide open, and speaks.
“Don’t be deceived anymore, Emperor.”
The emperor is merely a spectator. Fundamentally, he is no different from Verdio as a person, but there is still an opportunity for him to choose a different path.
Therefore, Clarisse speaks to Emperor Eldain. She urges him to excommunicate Verdio.
“Now is the time… for your resolve.”
At that moment, an explosion erupts from beneath the table.
– Boom!!
It was Verdio’s divine magic.
***
In a forest region far north one must run from Achen Island,
Yenikar’s middle-ranked dragon-shaped spirit has just managed to crash-land amidst the conifers.
-Crash!
It scrapes across the ground, emitting a sound of agony, then shortly after, the spirit is reversed-summoned and vanishes. It appears that it barely managed to make a last-ditch effort to lay us safely on the ground.
Both Yenikar and I tumbled on the dirt, unscathed for the most part.
Yet Yenikar was in no condition to be moving.
Biting down hard, I rise from the dirt floor. I quickly run to Yenikar, who’s a distance away, to check on her.
“Hey, Yenikar. Are you okay?”
She breathes heavily as if exhausted. As I reach to check her forehead for fever, she pushes my chest.
“Don’t… Don’t…”
“What?”
“It’s hot… You’ll only get hotter…”
Yenikar coughs, steadying herself.
It seems she’s too weak to walk on her own, so I offer my shoulder for support.
“We must be in… the Cretan Woods.”
“Yeah… Do we keep going…?”
I take out the Tooth Necklace of Belvbrock upon hearing Yenikar’s question. Although there’s a faint response of magic power, it’s very weak.
Just a little further, and we will be there.
Supporting Yenikar, we continue walking. All we need to do is reach a point where the seal of Belvbrock isn’t affected anymore, then we can bury it in the ground or throw it into a lake to ensure no one can find it.
However, things are unlikely to proceed smoothly.
– Boom!
Should we call it landing or a crash?
Given that he remains completely unharmed, it leans more towards landing.
But the quantity of dust rising up is too great to be considered just a landing.
– Whoosh!
With a single flap of wings, the dust is scattered.
The man standing at the center… is Tadarek of Swift, one of the three Apostles of Telos.
I’ve faced him once before.
Memories of subduing him amidst repetitive cycles of time. I was pierced by his spear in front of the cathedral, but I turned that moment into an opportunity to limit his movements, ultimately ending him with Merilda’s blow.
It was a case of overcoming an overwhelming difference in power with a short decisive battle. But the situation now is very different from then.
It’s a situation where I can’t risk my life, and to make things worse, the Glastron’s ring has already been used by Yenika. Until Yenika’s magic power returns, the ring cannot be used.
Although having Yenika on our side now is advantageous compared to before…
“Ed… I can’t see in front of me…”
“Keep your eyes shut until the dust settles.”
“No… that’s not it…”
My mind was preoccupied with Tadarek’s sudden appearance.
Turning to Yenika in response to her words, her pupils seemed eerily vacant while supported by me.
“Hey… you…”
“It must be temporary…”
“…The timing is terrible.”
The side effects of the ring seemed certain. It apparently drew a larger amount of mana than expected. It would take a considerable amount of time to recover.
Even after this incident is over, it’ll probably be hard for her to live alone for a few days. I wonder if this was too reckless, but Yenika couldn’t have faced that Apostle alone without drawing such an amount of magic power.
I gritted my teeth and propped Yenika up against a nearby tree.
Behind us, a man who had successfully pursued other Apostles by betting their lives was looking at us.
Wings stretching out from the luxurious robe, a dull chin glimpse under the shadowed robe hood, and burly muscles on the spear-wielding arm.
“Hand over that necklace right now.”
He pointed at the necklace of Velbroke’s fangs in my hands.
“Otherwise… I might kill you.”
I waved my fingers in front of Yenika’s pupils, moving them here and there.
Yenika’s pupils did not follow my finger, merely staring vacantly straight ahead as if frozen in a still frame.
Feverish, her toes trembling, sweat pouring so heavily that the uniform shirt was soaked through. It looked difficult for her to breathe, so I unbuttoned a few buttons and pushed the shawl aside, then I wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood up.
The man had come quite close. All I did was stare in Yenika’s direction.
“Is that girl the one handling the spirits?”
“……”
“If we don’t subdue that girl immediately, my comrades might be in danger.”
Yenika is driven to such an extreme because she is still handling numerous spirits and blocking the Apostles’ pursuit.
From Tadarek’s perspective, he would want to subdue Yenika right away to eliminate the threatening spirits.
Perhaps judging that dragging this out would do no good, Tadarek hurled his spear at incredible speed.
The speed was such that it appeared impossible to evade with the naked eye. Supersonic velocity. The spear, on a straight trajectory toward my gut, had enough force to kill me in one hit, but…
– Whoosh!
‘The speed surpassing my perception’ played to my advantage just this once.
A one-time protection against attacks out of one’s perception, ‘Blessing of the Tempest.’
The wind winding from the spearhead ensnared Tadarek’s body.
“What, what?!”
I ‘deliberately’ chose not to perceive Tadarek’s spear to take advantage of the Tempest’s Blessing.
I didn’t look at him, nor did I try to predict when the attack was coming.
– Clang!
The spear deflects, creating a large opening in Tadarek’s movements for just an instant. Seizing the moment, I drove the intermediate fire magic ‘Point Explosion’ into his abdomen.
– Boom!
When I turned around with the dagger, the aftermath of the explosion remained.
I leaped back and drove the dagger into his shoulder.
“Aargh!”
– Bang!
The spell ‘Explosive Resonance’ was released, and another explosion ensued.
As said before, to defeat him, I had to rely on a short decisive battle and luck, gritting my teeth to create an opening for a lethal blow.
However, without being able to manifest Merilda, there’s a limit to my firepower.
To truly defeat Tadarek, I needed to manifest Merilda. But Glastron’s golden phoenix ring was unusable.
“Damn you…!”
Tadarek was knocked to the ground but managed to pick himself up quickly. The dagger had pierced through his clothes but apparently hadn’t penetrated the body protected by sacred arts. There was a dull feeling when I stabbed.
A lack of absolute firepower. It was my chronic weakness.
“You’re trying to resist in the end…!”
So what if there was no ring?
How long would I rely on pulling magic power through rings, handling high-ranking spirits while receiving penalties?
I took a deep breath and steadied my magic power.
Memories of countless deaths kept piercing my brain.
Crushed by rubble, bleeding out, stabbed by a spear, hit by scales, dying for various reasons… Those numerous memories etched with pain were not just for suffering.
Each crisis summoned Merilda relentlessly, and the sense of that magic power, repeated dozens of times, remained in my memory.
The most reliable way to increase spirit resonance? Accumulate experiences.
And that experience had steadily accumulated within me in this short time. I felt the flow of my magic power become smoother.
“So that’s it.”
Now I understood the reason why my memories had fully returned.
It was thanks to the celestial magic I had prepared in advance.
Though I hadn’t properly used celestial magic and the proficiency in it was abysmal…
While Adel repeatedly turned back time, I was constantly exposed to celestial magic near her, and thus, my resonance with it steadily increased.
That’s right.
When time is rewound, all memories and events go back to the past… but the ‘stat window’ imprinted in me remained entirely affected.
As Adel grew closer to death, the power of the celestial magic she manifested weakened bit by bit.
In contrast, my power grew stronger, and at the moment these dynamics flipped—I was able to maintain all my memories by resisting her celestial magic.
Could it be that spirit magic was no different?
=== [ Magic Ability Details ]
Rank: Proficient Magician
Specialization: Elemental Magic
Common Magic: Fast Casting Lv 12
Mana Detection Lv 13
Fire Elemental Magic: Ignition Lv 17
Point Explosion Lv 2
Wind Elemental Magic: Wind Blade Lv 15
Spirit Magic: Spirit Resonance Lv 18 (up!)
Spirit Understanding Lv 18 (up!)
Spirit Manifestation Lv 13 (up!)
Sensory Sharing Lv 13 (up!)
< Spirit Slot: Low Fire Spirit Mug >
Resonance Stage: 5 (up!)
Spirit Efficiency: Perfect (up!) (Phase Shift Enabled!)
Unique Enhancement Skill: Blessing of Rebirth (Temporary Flame Immunity Surge)
Explosive Resonance (Low-level Explosion Magic)
Increased Fire Magic Abilities
< Spirit Slot: Intermediate Water Spirit Laysia >
Resonance Stage: 4 (up!)
Spirit Efficiency: Very Good (up!)
Unique Enhancement Skill: Blessing of Waters (Temporary Physical Attack Immunity)
Water Font Manifestation (Low-level Water Magic)
Increased Water Magic Abilities
< Spirit Slot: High Wind Spirit Merilda >
Resonance Stage: 3 (up!)
Spirit Efficiency: Average (up!)
Unique Enhancement Skill: Blessing of the Tempest (Periodic Damage Neutralization)
Ascending Airflow (Intermediate Wind Magic)
Increased Wind Magic Abilities
Celestial Magic:
Celestial Power Expression Lv 3 (up!)
Nature Transformation Lv 2 (up!)
Death Immunity Lv 0
Time Prison Lv 0
Short-distance Spatial Movement Lv 0
Forced Aggregation Lv 1 (up!)
Phantom Expression Lv 0
Bewitchment Lv 0
Robes fluttered due to the rushing wind surrounding Tadarek.
Even as he lowered his center of gravity to withstand the strong winds, eventually, his lifted body was thrown into a nearby tree.
Even a sturdy oak swayed like ripe barley. Little conifers were uprooted, flying through the air. I worried for Yenika’s safety, but strangely, the wind did not blow near the tree she leaned against.
It meant the wind was artificially created.
How many times had the past version of me died as time repeatedly rewound?
While entrusting everything to Clarisse, I had faced nothing but painful ends.
Memories filled with strenuous efforts leading to demise filled me. Did those immense pains and deaths resulting only in futile struggles become null?
A history of desperate struggles against an inevitable fate… Was it all in vain?
Fortunately, the gods shook their heads to that question.
– Howl!
There’s an old merchant saying that if you hear a wolf howl in the forest, you should plead for your life from the gods because the mountains and woods belong completely to the wolves.
A wolf as large as a house growls among tall conifers stretching up high. Without drawing magic, a high-ranking spirit was fully manifested by my own strength.
The piercing eyes of the great Merilda gaze down upon Tadarek.
***
“Ku-gh, sniff…”
A huge hole was torn into the ceiling of the cathedral.
Aside from Clarisse, immune to all holy arts… everyone was harmed by that sudden explosion.
The interior of the nave had become chaotic. To produce an explosion of such magnitude with divine power would need quite a long chant.
Verdio pretended to assert his innocence while chanting a silent spell of holy art.
“Here in Aken Island… Surely, only Adel Seris… that girl can wield the power of time…”
Amidst groans, Verdio carried Clarisse subdued with a strangled neck, passing through the knights. The knights left with any energy couldn’t resist because of it.
Anointed by the Telos Church, Verdio isn’t affected by the holy art’s retaliation. He could completely overpower her.
“Kuh… Do you… think you’ll get away with this, Verdio?”
“Obviously not. Just… tell me where… Adel Seris… that woman is… that’s all I need…!”
All the plans had gone awry. There was nothing else to do now, no escape route.
And yet, Verdio seemed determined to go outside the church as if he had something left…
“If everything has already fallen apart, then at least… at least…”
“Ku-gh…!”
Clarisse gritted her teeth, trying to break free, unable to overcome the difference in strength.
Only desperation welled up.
It was the last chance, she was almost there, but she let her guard down at the very last moment. Verdio’s snap judgment and boldness exceeded her expectations.
– Bang!
Just like that, Verdio kicked open the church’s main doors. He intended to take a horse from the carriage and go somewhere.
However.
“You’re a bit late this time.”
There was a girl sitting atop the carriage, leisurely chewing on jerky, with droopy eyes.
Unaware of who the girl was, Verdio didn’t understand why she appeared here.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”
However, Clarisse, held by Verdio, understood.
There was no longer an escape for Verdio.
“The talks are over, then?”
